The Isolationists' Coven
by QueenSoledad
Summary: After a case goes cold at home, Integra Hellsing returns to her private school to finish out the term. However, a fresh face appears, and with her, a series of disappearances that lead Integra and her small group of friends on the trail of a monster hiding in their midst.
1. Chapter 1

As the seventeen year-old rolled her luggage behind her, the only sound to be heard outside the large building was the scraping of her suitcase's wheels against the dirt. Integra looked up at the four-story building through a thin veil of parted, platinum bangs, undaunted by the size and austerity of the school. She had lived a mansion close to it in size all of her life and been attending this school since the age of ten.

Cartwright's wasn't a particularly old school, despite the stately and aged look of it. It was both timeless and outdated by design, a necessity to attract the parents of the upper class.

Located out in the country, away from cities and the distractions they posed, Cartwright's School for Young Ladies was surrounded entirely by open fields, and in the dimming light of the late afternoon it cast a long, dark shadow over the landscape, like a lone mountain. From what she knew of mountains not located in a chain, Cartwright's could only be one thing: a volcano, looming in distance and threatening to unleash the destructive force it held within itself any moment.

Integra could not help but scoff at her own analogy. All that lay within the walls of the school were adolescent girls, vicious and unrelenting harpies, but hardly anything that she wasn't capable of handling. Spending one's entire life being conditioned to slay monsters had that effect on a person.

The grounds would normally be littered with deep red and white uniforms; however, Integra had arrived not only during dinner but in the middle of Summer term.

During holiday, she normally went home and took direct control of the organization, while Walter and others she had hired conducted normal missions when she was away. However, a complicated matter had come up, and she'd had to stay at Hellsing HQ for an added month.

A ship had arrived in England, and, upon inspection, all of the crew had been found dead and drained of blood. The cargo had gone missing, but the ship's logs had reported that they had been carrying several boxes full of dirt.

For obvious reasons, Hellsing had been on high alert and she'd torn across the country in search of the cargo and the creature that had most likely been smuggled in with it. Unlike common, younger vampires who went around slaughtering all in sigh without much thought, this had clearly been a well-orchestrated plan to get whoever this was into the country.

This plot had been more cleanly executed than she ever could've initially imagined. The organization spent a month without even the smallest of leads as to where the boxes could've been taken, or even how they'd been dragged off the ship at all. There were no records of any kind of transportation, not even a dead human drudge used to do the heavy lifting. The monster had covered its tracks seamlessly.

Though it left a foul taste in her mouth, Walter had insisted that while they weren't finding any leads, it was pointless for Integra to be dragged further behind in her classes. He had promised to contact her immediately anything came up, but Integra could already feel the case slipping out of her fingers and going completely cold.

Integra opened the front door, mentally preparing herself to assume the role of Integra Hellsing, third year student and heiress. She went over her excuse and holiday again in her mind, remembering all of the details her classmates would surely ask about later. She'd stayed with an Aunt in London. No, she hadn't met any boys while she was away and hadn't bought anything of note. The weather had been fine, or as good as it ever was in London anyway. She'd had a decent time, but it had been uneventful. She'd read for the most part.

Her 'friends' wouldn't find the story very interesting, but that was the point. Integra was only hoping that they'd hear it once, lose any amount of curiosity, and leave the matter be as they'd always done in the past. It wouldn't do to have them start to pry and attempt to discover what she'd really been up to this past month.

Integra stopped by the front office, which was, for once, occupied by the plump, red-faced Ms. Thrip, the receptionist. She was good at what she did, but she had a tendency to slip out from behind her desk and gossip with the other staff during student meal times when she rarely had any work to do anyway.

"Miss Hellsing!" she greeted, smiling in that broad, warm way she'd become renowned for. "I thought you weren't due here until tomorrow?"

"There was a last minute change," Integra replied briefly, withholding a cringe. She'd become used to being referred to as Sir while at home.

Ms. Thrip had grown accustomed to Integra and her 'family's' secretive nature and knew not to question further. "Alright then, your room is still the same, but I think you may have a new room-mate coming in, oh, this evening I believe. Imagine that, both you girls arriving on the same day."

"Room-mate? Is she a transfer student?"

"Her family just moved to this country. I believe they're Eastern European nobility of some sort." Ms. Thrip said, her voice vibrating with common excitement, as it always did whenever she spoke of anything she viewed as exotic.

"Is that so?" Integra replied, trying to hide the irritation in her voice. Just her luck to be stuck sleeping next to a spoilt princess.

Ms. Thrip nodded vigorously. "Isn't it exciting? She's supposed to arrive here at around eight o'clock, so you should have enough time to unpack and dust, or anything else you may find a need to do. Wouldn't want her not to feel welcomed here, after all."

Integra understood the less than subtle hint perfectly; she had better not make the school look bad in front of their new student. "I'll be sure to, good evening ma'am."

Integra dragged her belongings up the white, marble stairs, making loud thuds every time the wheels hit the hard surface. This combined with their rolling against the hard wood floor on the third level put her in a state of unease; she despised the utter silence in the dormitory otherwise. Being the only source of sound made Integra feel as though she were a bumbling giant, leaving nothing but ruins in her awkward wake.

Finally, she reached what had been her dorm for the past two years- Room 223. The platinum haired teenager turned the knob with one hand and shoved the door open with her shoulder.

The room was just as she'd left it at the end of Winter term. Two twin-sized beds about five feet away from each other in placement with a bedside table and lamp in between to separate them, a desk pushed against the far wall, and a tall window right beside it that looked out over the river which ran behind the school.

The badge walls and darkly stained floor were nothing particularly exciting to look at, but she had often found comfort in how relaxed and unobtrusive the colors were. This was a place of rest, so it was perfectly acceptable to save the excitement for elsewhere.

She set her trunk down on the bed closest to the door (she always felt more comfortable sleeping within easy running distance of the exit), and unpacked her supply of uniforms so that she could hang them in the small closet, leaving her socks, underwear, and other miscellaneous belongings in the case and sliding it under the bed again. Normally it wouldn't bother her to have such items scattered about, but now that she wasn't going to be alone she figured she should show at least a modicum of consideration.

Integra slipped off her shoes, leaving them on the floor between her bed and the wall, and collapsed unceremoniously onto the bed with her socks still on. Had she been in the mood to deal with the slings and arrows of adolescent curiosity, Integra may have gone downstairs to join her classmates for dinner, but she was willing to miss a meal in favor of a reprieve from the imminent onslaught of inane chatter.

She had a circle of friends, so to speak. She couldn't stand a single one of them on her own, and together they were even more painful to be around, but isolating herself entirely would draw suspicion. Integra sought to blend in entirely with the student body as long as she was here, even if it meant enduring some stupidity and vapid-ness.

The only two whom Integra actually looked forward to seeing were Miss Lucy Westenra and Mina Harker. Vibrant Lucy and gentle Mina had been some of her only guiding lights throughout the past seven years of school, and Integra could at least be certain that she wouldn't grow bored as long as they were around. They would undoubtedly scold her for missing dinner and not speaking with them tonight, but she wanted to wait until she could find a moment a lone with them instead of having everything they said be torn apart and analyzed by a large group of girls.

Integra removed her glasses and set them down on the nightstand. By the grace of God, she'd only had to share a room with another twice, and knew from experience that some girls would much rather chatter on all night than allow anyone within a mile to sleep. Just in case this immigrant was of that persuasion, she decided it would be best to get in rest while she still could.

* * *

Integra jolted awake at a light knocking on the door.

The room had gone dark, as the window faced east and did not allow much sunlight in late in the day, so Integra had to fumble around for her glasses for a bit before sliding out of bed. Thankfully, she'd pretty much memorized the layout of the dorm, and was able to find her way to the door in the dark.

Integra opened the door, still half aware of what was going on around her. The hallways were dark as well, curfew having been an hour past.

"Good evening," a girl, perhaps an entire foot shorter than Integra greeted. She was unable to discern her face or clothing in the dark, making the girl look more like an unsolid mass of gathered shadows than a person. "I am the new student. Do I have the correct room?"

Integra remembered vaguely the conversation she'd had earlier with Ms. Thrip and nodded.

"May I, then?" she asked. It didn't occur to her to question why a teenaged girl would be so concerned with manners, especially when dealing with someone her age.

"Yes, come in." Integra said, standing aside to allow her new room-mate entry.

The girl walked in and seated herself on the foot of the bed nearest to the window, her feet dangling off the edge.

"Don't you have any luggage?" Integra asked, closing the door.

"It's being delivered." She replied, looking out the window.

This was abnormal, but not unheard of. After all, Cartwright's was a private school for the upper class.

"I am Integra Hellsing," she added, suddenly feeling immensely stupid for not bringing it up sooner.

The girl giggled. "Oh, I know."

Integra blinked at her in confusion, becoming more suspicious of this girl as the seconds ticked by.

"That woman, Trip or something, told me." She explained, leaning back on her arms. "I am called Diana."

Integra turned on the lamp on the bedside table, and she was finally able to look at her new room-mate.

Her hair was long, dark, and straight, and it was cut into neat bangs that framed her pale face. Her eyes were dark blue and had a confident, if a bit mocking, gleam, and they were deeply set into a beautifully sculpted and blemish-free face. She was dressed entirely in stark white, with a mink-fur cap perched atop her head.

"Do you have the uniform yet?" Integra asked, sitting back down on the edge of her own bed.

"No, but I will by tomorrow evening at the least," Diana said. She quickly changed the subject. "Enough with the idle small talk, though. Anything interesting ever happen here?"

Surprised by Diana's bluntness, Integra took a moment to reply. "That really depends. Does gossip, study, and the occasional fight over a hairdryer interest you?"

Diana huffed in amusement. "Perhaps the last one would be worth a watch, but, otherwise, not particularly. I suppose I'll have to stir up some better trouble to get into."

Integra refrained from rolling her eyes. Another rebellious heiress looking to spite her parents for taking care of funding her. Lucy was enough of a handful to begin with, but now she had two to worry about. "You and Lucy would be thick as thieves. I'm sure she'll be planning something or other to get us all expelled in the next few days."

"Sounds perfect." She agreed, rolling over onto her stomach. "When can we meet?"

"Tomorrow, I suppose. You may have classes together. Her name is Lucy Westenra." Integra said.

Diana made a look of clear disgust, looking like she'd rather shoot herself. "I'm skipping classes tomorrow."

"On your first day, after missing a month already this term?" Integra asked, completely incredulous at the thought of shirking duties in such a way.

Diana waved her off with her right hand, supporting her head with the other. "I'll just breeze through and ace the tests. I don't really give a damn about grades, passing is enough for me."

Already able to tell just how much they weren't going to get along, Integra changed the subject this time. "Will you need me to show you around tomorrow anyway? You'll still need to know where the showers are, even if you don't go to class."

"I suppose so," she conceded, closing her eyes. "You know, skipping class isn't any fun alone."

"You're just going to have to deal with it then because I'm not going with you." Integra growled. She wanted desperately to study or read something school related in order to have an excuse to end the conversation, but, unfortunately, she'd yet to have received any of the mountain of homework she was soon to have.

Diana sighed dramatically, letting her head flop down on the bedspread. Her whine was, therefore, severely muffled. "You're like an old spinster whose biological clock has gone off! This is horrible!"

"Sorry to disappoint." Integra snapped at the insult, secretly holding the same kind of lukewarm sentiments toward her new room-mate.

Diana crossed her arms and glared at her from over the top of them, suddenly looking predatory. "I bet that you will skip class tomorrow. In fact, I'm sure of it."

"Really now, how much?" Integra, snarled. Walter would have a heart attack if he knew that she had been reduced to gambling before even a full day of classes had passed, but he didn't need to know everything that happened while she in school.

Even though the lower half of her face was hidden, Integra could practically _sense _Diana's smirk.

"If you don't skip class, then I'll attend a full day. And if you do. . ." Diana trailed off, as if deep in thought. "You'll owe me something later, whenever I have need of you."

"You'll attend for a full week!" Integra corrected, feeling that Diana had far more to gain in the first arrangement.

"Fine then," Diana accepted, so confident in her ability to win that she had no qualms with putting that much of her personal freedom on the line. "To the winner goes the spoils."

* * *

Integra was shaken awake, though she could see that the sun was only barely tinging the sky with pink from her window.

"You promised to show me the showers today, remember?" Diana said, her face just a bit too close to Integra's for comfort.

Integra glared, noticing absently that she'd slept in her glasses. "What time is it? Can't you wait until a decent hour?"

"Me? Do something decent? Never!" She snarled playfully, tugging on Integra's arm again. "Besides, you don't want to miss class do you? I didn't know winning would be _this easy_."

Integra scowled, remembering their wager from the night before. "Fine then, just try to stay quiet. We aren't supposed to be out of our rooms yet."

Seeing that she was still wearing her clothes and socks from yesterday as well, Integra simply slipped into the shoes she'd left on the floor. She, from years of practice sneaking out with Lucy, turned the door knob and pushed it open just slowly enough that it wouldn't scrap against the floor too loudly or cause the hinges to whine.

She crept down the hallway, at first nervous that the boisterous girl would not be able to hide the sound of her feet against the wood as well as she, but Integra was unpleasantly surprised. If anything, Diana was even quieter than Integra, slipping along behind her like a ghost.

More than a little peeved by this girl's apparent perfection, Integra silently opened the door to the bathrooms.

There were five stalls in all and five corresponding sinks with a single long mirror on the wall above them all. It was impeccably clean and had been recently remodeled with granite countertops, because the students would riot in the streets if offered anything less. There were no windows, but there were two tasteful light fixtures that provided decent enough lighting to the entire long room.

Integra bypassed the sinks and the stalls, however, paying them no mind. She went to the back of the room and turned a corner into a small tiled hallway that ended in a heavy wooden door.

"Why put them all the way back here?" Diana mused, following behind her as closely as ever. It made Integra more nervous than she'd like to admit to have this strange girl out of eyeshot, but she dismissed it.

"So that no one could hear what was going inside from the bathroom. I don't see much point in it, seeing as showering can't be any more embarrassing than what else goes on in here, but I digress." Integra answered with a shrug.

Integra opened the door and stepped inside, making sure to keep her hand on it so that it wouldn't swing closed behind her.

The shower room wasn't anything particularly thrilling to look at. It had all the average essentials, showerheads lining the walls, miniature stalls with small shelves in them to set soap and other such things, and a drain in the middle of the floor.

"Well, there you are." Integra said with an unenthused sweep of her free arm. "Can I go back to sleep no—"

Integra was roughly shoved from behind and stumbled forward, and the door, too quickly to have been gravity, swung shut behind her. She flew up, instantly enraged, and pulled with all her might on the door's handle. This was to no avail, for it was mysteriously locked, though Integra knew of no way to lock it without the key.

Seeing that she had been imprisoned, Integra roared with anger and began to hammer mercilessly on the door in a vain effort to try to get someone to come to her aid. The blonde remembered her own words, however, and her assault on the wooden surface came to a stop.

"That God damned snake!" Integra snarled, realizing that she'd had a part in her own entrapment. What use were all those years of training if she let vital information that the enemy could use against her slip just like that! Not only was trapped, but no one would know where to find her!

Integra hissed in momentary defeat, already stewing over all the different kinds of Hell she would inflict upon Diana the moment she was released from her prison.

* * *

**A/N: I kind of have story ADD, sorry guys. This idea just kind of popped into my head, and I found myself really falling for the atmosphere of it. Kind of weird, but I associate colors with the moods of literature a lot, and this one feels kind of burgundy, dark brown, and ocher to me. I imagine the landscape as being forever in sun set, even though it obviously isn't as the laws of nature do apply.**

**Anyway, this is yet another AU, but it's kind of hard for me to explain it just yet. I'm sort of doing the plot of Dracula in a new setting, but not entirely. Just sit tight and you'll get what I mean soon enough.**

**I really want this to focus more on human nature, mood, and interaction than plot, though. I feel like a lot of what I write is very plot/explanation heavy, and I never get any time to really focus on actual emotion and character development. For the most part, I want this to be, as the director of one of my favorite movies, **_**Let the Right One In, **_**said, a story about children that just happens to include vampires, not a story about vampires that includes children. **

**Anyway, see you next time my pretties!**

**Disclaimer: Guess what, I don't own anything!**

**P.S.: The person who can guess what other work I am referencing with this setting and, in particular, naming the room-mate Diana gets a million points. Hint: The story is great, the music is great, the characters are great, but it's a chore go through.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

It was around eight o'clock in the evening. Most of the students had retired to their rooms for the seven o'clock curfew, and the few who had stayed up later certainly weren't unskilled enough to linger in the hallways. The sun was a burning ember at the bottom of the sky, casting red-orange light through the windows and onto the floor and walls, making their earthen tones seems to blaze in its glare. The tired, sluggish quiet of a summer's day near to its death had taken reign, and all within the school seemed warm, comfortable, and lax.

A blonde-haired girl stormed up the stairs, announcing her arrival on the third floor with a slam on the landing. A west-facing window at her back, the sunlight lit up the stray hairs around her head like some kind of hellish mockery of a halo as Integra marched down the hallway eyes burning with a thirst for retribution.

She reached 223 and threw the door open, the knob making a sharp crack as it collided with the wall behind it. Integra looked around the room wildly, both her teeth and fists clenched tightly enough to turn diamonds into dust. However, she soon found, to further her rage, that the dorm room was empty.

What had she expected? A girl who skipped class as often as she claimed wouldn't give a damn about curfew! Integra cursed in a manner that would've gotten her tongue cut out by Walter as a child and ran from the room again.

Integra descended the stairs once more with the speed of a vengeful goddess on the hunt, nearly running over several teachers who attempted to stop her on the way.

Going entirely on instinct, Integra ran out to the tree.

Being the only tree and independent source of shade on school grounds, it was a common gathering place during the summer, and Integra distinctly remembered going there with Lucy and Mina any time they were up when they shouldn't be. There was, of course, no reason a girl who'd barely been there a day would know about this, but it was the only lead Integra had to go on at this point unless she felt like combing the entire school (not that she would hesitate to do so, if necessity dictated it).

It seemed that luck was on her side that day, because, sitting in the shade like three devils plotting a murder, were Mina, Diana, and Lucy.

Diana was smiling in that sickeningly cocky and mocking way, and Lucy and Mina seemed to be smiling along and just eating up every piece of crap she fed them like it was candy!

Diana caught sight of Integra and stood up, grinning victoriously. She opened her mouth to say something, but was far too late. Integra walked up to the girl and, without warning, punched her in the face with the force of a truck.

Diana stumbled backward into the tree, holding her bleeding and twisted nose. Evidently, she had not been expecting that extreme of a reaction from Integra, as she had no smart ass remark prepared.

"I was trapped in there until the janitor, on an off chance, decided to do his weekly clean of the showers!" Integra shouted, raising her fist to pummel Diana further. "Classes ended two hours ago! The least you could've done was let me out!"

Diana said nothing, continuing to cover her nose with her hands.

"What the hell's wrong with you? Gone for one month and you come back a complete lunatic!" Lucy gasped, grabbing Integra's fist to prevent her from doing further damage.

"She locked me in the showers at four in the morning and left me there to rot!" Integra defended, pointing her free hand at Diana.

Mina bent down to be on level with Diana, tenderly reaching out to her wounded face. "It doesn't hurt too much does it? I know she can really throw a punch."

Diana shook her head, still not removing her hand from her injured nose.

"I think you still need to see the nurse, knowing her, it's probably broken," Mina chuckled half-heartedly, fatally trying to lighten the oppressive mood.

Unfortunately, at that point they'd already drawn several angry teachers and the headmistress out, what with Integra's rampage and the loud arguing between her and Lucy.

"All of you, in my office!" the headmistress snapped. She had always been infamous for her iron will, rivaled only by that of Integra. She pointed to Diana. "Except for you, to the nurse, immediately. We'll speak later."

"Ma'am," Mina whispered, wincing as the headmistress's steely gaze landed on the brunette. "She's a new student, so she doesn't know where the nurse's office is. If I may, can I—"

"Yes, yes," she interrupted dismissively. "Take her to the nurse and head straight to my office afterward." Mina wasn't known for being particularly rebellious, despite the company she kept. She could be trusted to do as she said she would and return.

The headmistress marched back with Lucy and Integra trailing behind. The red-head shot a particularly dirty look at her blonde companion, but said nothing. For the moment.

While Mina's back was turned, Diana's grip on her nose tightened and she suddenly jerked it to the side, snapping the re-generated cartilage and making it bleed once more.

The brunette turned back around, completely oblivious to the act and said, "Well, you heard the boss lady. Looks like we get a delay on our death sentences. Talking with them will do one of two things for us: tire the old bat out or make her even angrier."

Diana smirked, "I'm willing to take those odds."

Mina laughed, glad to see that even having it literally come around and blow up in her face hadn't dissipated her confidence any.

"Well, come on then." Mina offered Diana a hand, but it was ignored. Diana stood on her own and looked to Mina, waiting for the other girl to lead the way back inside.

Mina shrugged, walking ahead of the other girl.

* * *

Four girls sat in separate chairs in front of the desk, each with a very different expression on her face.

On the far left, the one with the bandaged nose sat with her head leaning on her hand, staring with a bored, blank expression at the headmistress. To her right, the short-haired brunette sat up with impeccable posture and was nervously wringing her hands together. Beside her, the girl who'd started all of this was sitting stiffly, her face firm and conveying no emotion; her hands, however, were still clenched in her lap in tight fists. On the end, the pretty red-head was quietly hissing between her clenched teeth and her arms were tightly crossed.

The headmistress took a deep breath before starting to speak. "So then, who would care to explain what happened?"

"I would!" Lucy said immediately, not giving anyone else a chance to speak.

The head mistress nodded her approval.

Lucy stood from her chair. "Mina and I didn't have anything to do with it ma'am. We were just talking with the new girl outside when Integra showed up and broke her nose!"

"Is this true?" she asked, looking to the other girls.

"Yes," Integra confirmed. "They were only bystanders."

Mina nodded vigorously.

"While this may be true," the headmistress said. "You were out of doors after curfew."

Lucy sat back down again, the look of triumph having melted off like butter. Mina visibly sunk into her seat.

"Anyway," the headmistress continued. She gestured to Diana. "What is the meaning behind this?"

"She locked me in the showers and left me there until the janitor found me." Integra explained flatly.

"You were in there all day?" the headmistress asked, not believing she'd heard right.

Integra nodded.

"While I can't condone the use of violence, I agree that this is a very serious matter." The headmistress cleared her throat. "Miss Westenra and Miss Harker, a week's detention for breaking curfew. Miss Hellsing, you and the new student will serve one month's together, along with clean up duty in the dining hall."

Integra may as well have been told that she'd been sentenced to death. Not only would she be forced to room with the beast of a girl until she could find someone else to take her in, she would also spend all her free hours with her as well!

The poisonous icing on the cake was that Diana didn't seem nearly as upset by the news. Actually, she was grinning evilly from ear to ear, victoriously leering at Integra from her chair. For a moment, Integra was tempted to rip her damn nose clean off, but she'd already been punished enough for her lack of self-control today as it was.

"You three, return to your rooms. I'd like to go over the rules here with our new student for a while longer." The headmistress commanded sternly.

If Diana was at all daunted by this remark, she did not show it. If anything, she seemed to be waiting to see what the old harpy could dish out.

Once out of ear shot of the her office, Lucy growled, "Jesus! You just had to go and blow up!"

"I'm sorry Luce, I didn't mean to get you guys mixed up in all this." Integra confessed, feeling like a kindergartener caught rough housing on the playground.

"It doesn't matter! Now we all have to get you back!" Lucy said decisively, rubbing her hands together.

"Come on Lucy, what Diana did was kind of mean. . ." Mina mumbled.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "That's just like you! Too sweet to even take a side! One minute you're taking one to the nurse and the next you're defending the other for punching her!"

Mina looked to the floor, wringing her hands together. "I just. . ."

"I know, I know!" Lucy said, her tone softening. "I'm sorry. Seriously though, if someone ever punches you in the face, don't ask if she hurt her knuckles!"

Mina laughed, "Okay, but can I at least apologize for whatever I did to make her want to punch me?"

Lucy dramatically threw her hands up and sighed in defeat. "It's hopeless! She's going to be a fluffy marshmallow for the rest of her life Integra."

"That should even it out between the three of us, then. Imagine if all of us were just as loud mouthed as you are!" Integra teased.

Lucy shot her a faux glare, continuing to smile. "At least we do have iron sticks up our asses! Diana told us about that bet. Did she _really _have to lock you up in the showers just to get you to skip class?"

"It was my first day back! I'm already a month behind to begin with!" Integra defended earnestly.

Ms. Thrip poked her fake-blonde head out of her office and whispered, "You're already up a creek without a paddle girls, so I'd suggest you get back up stairs."

Not needing to be told a third time, the girls quickly moved on.

* * *

". . .and furthermore, you committed such a serious breach of conduct _on your first day here._"

Diana yawned, having tuned out what the old woman was saying a good ten minutes ago. Her nose had healed and re-healed some time ago, but, to her disgruntlement, the nurse had said (in front of one of the girls no less) that she'd have to keep it bandaged for another two weeks. Having long grown bored of the situation, Diana stood up and approached the desk.

"What on earth are you—"

Diana raised her hand to be on level with the headmistress's eyes. "Everything is fine."

The headmistress's face relaxed entirely, her jaw going slack. "Everything is fine," she repeated in a dazed murmur.

The headmistress was found later, standing in the same position, smiling absently at the ajar door.

* * *

Integra did not sleep that night for fear that, should she return once Integra was slumbering, Diana would take revenge for her broken nose. Integra could not help but hope that the break would leave that perfect, smug face permanently deformed.

Hours passed, however, and Diana did not appear. As eleven o'clock drew nearer, Integra felt her rage building once again. It was actually kind of terrifying; ever since her father's death, uncle's betrayal, and her becoming head of the organization, Integra had kept firm control over her every thought and feeling. This girl seemed to find a way to make Integra seethe at the drop of a hat.

Not only had Diana stolen all of her freedom for the next month, she was also getting away with skipping curfew! Despite her better judgment, Integra donned her shoes and glasses again and crept out into the hallway.

She blinked in surprise as she saw the large window at the end of the hallway. Beyond it, partially covered by clouds, the moon was full and a dramatic, glowing red.

Integra didn't consider this to be any kind of omen; a red moon wasn't unheard of. It could very easily have been cause by pollution in the air or a lunar eclipse.

Integra, in great contrast to the hellish pace she'd taken before, tip-toed down the stairs, stopping on each floor and craning her ears for a single sound in any of the hallways.

She stepped outside again, her anger having faded for most part, swept away by the cool of evening.

Beneath the shadow of the tree, there was someone standing. At first, she'd triumphantly thought that she'd caught Diana, but this assumption was soon dashed by common logic. She could not make the person out very well, but it was plain that anyone that tall could never have been her prey.

However, this raised more concerns than it did ease them. Judging by his height, the one standing beneath the tree had to be a man, which signaled a few red flags immediately. Amongst the entire staff there were only two men, the cook and one of the old janitors. The janitor had a back more crooked than a question mark, and the cook was far too plump to be this man.

"You there," Integra called, her school girl's façade melting away to reveal the budding warrior underneath. "What's your business here?"

The man turned to her, "Sir Hellsing, imagine seeing you out here. I was only admiring the moon."

Every muscle in her body tensed as she became poised to fight or fend off an attack at any moment. No one here, belonging to the world of normal humans, would ever address her as such.

"You would do well to admire your moon elsewhere. If you know of my title, then surely you must know my profession." Integra warned. At this point all she had to rely on was intimidation- she hadn't thought to bring her silver-loaded gun with her to hunt down her room-mate.

He chuckled, a deep and resonant baritone that seemed to make the very Earth vibrate. "That is why I am here, Sir. I'd heard of the girl who defended England from monsters like me, and I wished to test her worth."

She controlled the urge to bite her lip or step away, knowing that any sign of weakness could provoke the creature into attacking. Then again, it was possible that he would lunge for her anyway.

He laughed again, harder this time. "Don't let yourself become too worked up, I didn't say I'd try to rip your throat out here and now. I'd like to watch for a while longer."

Integra glared, realizing he must've sensed her increased heart rate. "What do you mean 'watch'? Who are you, and how are you spying on me?"

Instead of providing an answer of any kind, the man seemed to literally melt into the shadows cast by the tree, dissipating into nothing.

Integra quickly retreated back to her room , feeling safer in the knowledge that she'd have a gun and that he had, hopefully, not been invited in.

She needed to contact Walter immediately. If there was a vampire running loose in a young girl's school… She'd rather not even consider the implications. In one evening, she could be trapped in a den of newborn vampires with their master. Hopefully, she would be able to resolve the matter before it could get to that point, but she was unsure. He seemed to be particularly powerful, and Integra probably couldn't take him out alone.

Integra opened the door to 223 and had to remind herself not to slam it behind her out of sheer relief that she'd made it back in one piece. Upon looking into the room, she saw that someone else had made it back as well.

Diana was lounging on her bed with her hands behind her head, smirking once again. Integra scowled, but did not say a word. Even with a broken nose, that girl could manage to seem cocky.

"I see I wasn't the only one out tonight," she observed in a sing-song voice.

"I was looking for you, but now I see that, once again, you've wasted my time." Integra retorted, taking off her shoes.

"Always glad to." Diana replied smoothly, too much so, in fact.

"Hey, I thought I broke your nose, why don't you sound more, nasally?"

Diana's face darkened for a split second, before she shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe you didn't hit me as hard as you thought."

Leave it to her to turn it into an insult, she thought. Integra hadn't known that it was possible to hate someone this much in the span of twenty four hours, but, apparently, this was the case.

Integra removed her masculine flannel pajamas from the trunk beneath her bed. Out of curiosity, she glanced beneath Diana's. "Your stuff hasn't gotten here yet."

"No, it hasn't. I don't know what's taking so long," she replied, clearly genuinely irritated at the situation.

"I suppose it'll show up eventually," Integra said, pulling her red blouse over her head and laying atop the bedspread.

She suddenly felt immensely…uncomfortable, like she was on display in an exhibit. Integra looked up and Diana was staring at her rather, intently. Integra raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

Diana blinked, her serious expression instantly exchanged for a lighter one. "Did I say something?"

"No. . ." Integra replied, slipping off her skirt and socks.

She changed into her pajamas and actually managed to sleep underneath the covers that night.

Of course, after she thought Diana had drifted off, Integra slipped her gun out of a hidden pocket in her trunk and slipped it under her pillow.

* * *

**A/N: And so the sexual confusion begins… **

**Sorry, I think that anyone who would change genders at will would have fun using it to mess with people. So, I guess this fic will involve pseudo-yuri, because I really don't think that girlycard counts as an actual girl. However, I think that Alucard would start coming on to Integra no matter what form he was in, and causing added confusion on her part is just part of the fun.**

**Next chapter, the body count shall begin! I know we only got to see a little bit of Lucy and Mina in this chapter, but next time we'll get a whole big ass scene with the entire gang together. Plus, we're bringing in the fifth member… a thousand points to whoever guesses that (not as obscure or hard to figure out as the first, sorry)**

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing. YAY!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: A bit of a warning, this chapter isn't entirely for kids. Not that anything I write is necessarily child friendly, but I thought I'd give you a heads up anyway. It's not a lemon though, FYI. Just some heavy gore.  
**

* * *

Irina sat up in bed, staring at the far wall.

It was the same as always, scratches and chips in the paint included. In the light coming from the window, it seemed to be, like everything in the room, washed in blue.

She glanced outside. The moon was swollen, but not entirely full. The view below had nothing to reveal either, the same empty courtyard with a fountain placed in the center.

Irina examined the pane itself, reaching out with her hand to touch its cool surface. No scratches or dirt, as they had been replaced while most of the students were away.

She hesitantly exhaled, leaning back in her bed again and letting her head rest on the pillow. Irina stared at the ceiling for a few moments and, nearly ready to attempt sleep again, heard the sound.

In the far wall, she could hear it. A scratch and then a small, nearly unnoticeable clack, followed by another scratch and a clack. Her breath was shaky as it was sucked in past her lips, and Irina sat up again.

The scratch-clacking continued until, finally, there was a louder thud that sounded like it came from near the wall met the floor.

Irina had figured it was rats, which she would've complained about to her father in the morning had this been the case, but her theory was growing weaker. It had happened around twelve times now, and always in the same way. The sound started at around the middle of the wall, continued for a couple second traveling downward, and then finally stopped at the bottom. She didn't know much about rats, but Irina had never pictured them as being that systematic.

It wasn't that frequent, but it happened often enough to disturb the already light sleeper. Irina bit her lip and turned to the bed side table, opening up the drawer underneath the top surface. Out of it, she withdrew a pair of earmuffs.

Irina placed them onto her head with a victorious air about her before lying down again, convinced she'd solved her problem.

Then it returned, louder than before, almost in defiance of her. Scratch, clack, scratch, clack, scratch, clack, and then, thud.

Irina curled up into a ball in the sheets, pushing the muffs into the sides of her head with her hands and grinding her teeth together.

There was shuffling on the other side of the room, and her roommate, Mina, raised herself up on her arms.

"Is, is that a light on in the hallway?" Mina asked, rubbed her eyes to see more clearly.

Irina didn't answer.

Assuming the other girl was asleep, Mina lifted the blanket and tossed it over, sliding out of bed. In the sliver between the door and the floor, she could see light shining through. Normally, all lights went out an hour or so after curfew.

Mina gently nudged the door open and stepped outside into the hallway.

Having left her shoes in the room, her feet made little sound, save for the natural, sticky padding that always seemed to occur anytime one stepped off of carpet without shoes on.

Standing out the hallway, toying with the switch on the lamp and flickering it on and off, was Diana, still dressed in all in pristine white, including the bandage on her nose.

"Ah," she said, in acknowledgement of Mina's existence. "You got my message."

"You were messaging me by playing with a light? What was it supposed to say, exactly?" Mina whispered, trying to keep her light chuckle quiet.

"Come out, of course. What else would it say?" Diana replied, that same smooth, confident smile stretching across her face.

"You know a teacher or another girl could've answered it as well," Mina stated, pointing out the other student's obvious lapse in judgment.

"You think so little of me!" Diana gasped, holding a white glove to her face in overly dramatic shock. "I'd have no problem dealing with such a thing!"

"Besides," she continued. "Everyone else near your room is asleep, aside from your room mate."

"And how do you know that. . .?" Mina drawled suspiciously as she stepped closer.

"Sound carries in this place like a cavern." Diana replied flatly, closing the topic with her tone. "And many of the girls in this corridor snore."

Mina blinked, not having noticed any noise before, but, now that Diana had said it, she could hear faint snoring behind the walls around her.

"Anyway," Mina said, wordlessly agreeing on the non-offer to change topics. "What have I been summoned for?"

"I was just wandering through the halls, looking for something to do," Diana replied flippantly. "And I came to the second floor and thought to myself, 'Isn't this my dearest friend Mina's floor?'"

Not fully convinced, Mina asked, "'You were just wandering around?' Don't you sleep? It's two in the morning!"

"It's the best time not to sleep, in my opinion." She purred, in an almost, sultry, sort of way. "Wouldn't you go out for a walk if you knew you couldn't be caught?"

"No," Mina mumbled, knowing it was correct thing to say.

Diana rolled her eyes, seeing right through the girls bluff. "I'm not waiting forever. Let's go!"

The girl turned on her heel and marched away, not looking back to see if Mina followed.

It was almost a reflex, trailing behind like an obedient servant, and Mina, becoming aware of how scarily natural it was for her to just do what she was told, stopped herself mid-step. Fearing that she would lose favor in the eyes of her new friend, though, she continued walking and managed, with a bit of jogging here and there, to catch up with her at the stairs.

"You can talk all you like about not getting caught," Mina whispered. "But there are monitors on duty, and you're just waltzing around the halls like you own the place!"

"_Like_ I own the place? I practically do." Diana corrected, practically skipping down the stairs two by two. "Or I soon will, at any rate. These people in charge are so easy to sway."

"Did you _bribe _the monitors?" Mina asked, completely aghast. She was used to Lucy's leniency with the rules, but outright corruption in the system was new, unfathomable territory.

"Not exactly." Diana said, swinging around on the railing where the stairs took a sharp turn to the right and led down to the first floor.

"O-oh, okay then," Mina muttered, quickly following behind.

Diana snickered. "You don't have to agree with everything I say, you know."

"Alright,"

In response, Diana began to outright laugh, making Mina jump and look around them for a teacher storming angrily in their direction.

"Hey, stop that!" Mina hissed warily, beginning to wring her hands together.

"That's better," Diana commented, suddenly coming closer and getting into Mina's face. "But not enough bite. They're right. You're just too damn sweet for your own good."

"Um," Mina took an instinctive step back, only to walk into the wall behind her.

Diana giggled again at her expense, before beckoning her forward and starting off down the stairs again.

Mina followed once again, even though she was growing slightly concerned that the girl wasn't entirely right in the head.

Diana wandered into the wider main hallway and headed for the double doors leading to the Dining Hall. She grabbed one with each hand and threw them wide open, causing them to slam into the walls behind them. Mina jumped again, swiftly and shallowly inhaling as if she'd been struck in the gut.

The smirk Diana sent her was only there for the briefest of seconds, but, though it was playful, it wasn't the same carefree and flippant expression she usually had. This one seemed darker, crueler, as if relishing in Mina's fear alone.

Mina quickly dismissed it, thinking it was a trick of the eye. It was dark, after all, and a friend wouldn't give her such a look.

Diana strode in, her arms thrown wide. "Do you like it? I had to spend two hours cleaning it today, and I will continue to do so for the next month!" she declared.

"It's as nice as it usually is, I suppose," Mina murmured, crossing her arms and bowing her head slightly.

Diana's eyes narrowed knowingly at this sign of discomfort. "I'll show you the kitchen, that's where most of the work was done."

Mina nodded and started to follow Diana to the back of the long room, the windows, which stretched up to the high ceilings from the floor, casting thick lines of blue light onto her passing form.

A heavy, wooden door separated the kitchen from the dining hall, and, though it was usually open so that food could be brought out to the students during meals, it was firmly closed.

Of course, Diana, despite her smaller form, was able to open it with ease and, with a flourish of her arm, invited Mina inside.

Mina stepped in, not knowing if she was supposed to enter the kitchen at all, particularly at night when no one was there. Then again, they were breaking so many rules that, at this point, it didn't matter. Though she was, at heart, goody-two-shoes, Mina had adapted to the less obedient natures of those she hung out with.

Having no windows or lights on within, Mina could barely see to begin with, save for the darkened silhouettes of the ovens and other various equipment. Diana stepped away from the door and let it swing closed behind her, drowning them both in pitch-black darkness.

"How am I supposed to see anything like this?" Mina asked, laughing shakily. She reflexively began to wring her hands together again.

Diana's voice came right next to her ear, so close that she could feel the icy-cold air passing through the other girl's lips and brushing her earlobe. "If you're so concerned, find a light-switch."

Mina stumbled away in shock, yelping quietly.

Diana boomed with laughter, her spritely voice bouncing off of the walls as if they were in a cave. "Forget that, we'll stay in the dark. It's much more fun that way, if you get used to it."

Mina collected herself squinting blindly. She could, if she focused hard enough, see the very edges of Diana's silhouette.

For a girl she'd known for only a few days, Diana certainly didn't seem to be uncomfortable getting into Mina's personal space.

"No, I think the light would be best." Mina replied, reaching out in front of her in an attempt to find the wall.

Instead, her hand found a sharp edge on one of the machines, and Mina hissed in pain as she drew it back to herself.

Before she even had a chance to attempt to examine the wound, another hand snatched hers away.

She felt cold, wet lips lock on the long cut in palm, and a slick tongue run across it, lapping up all that had been spilt from it. The sensation sent cold chills shooting through every nerve in her body.

"W-what the hell?" Mina whispered, short of breath suddenly.

"I kissed it and made it better," Diana gently growled back, releasing the hand. "But, if anyone asks. . ."

In the pitch black darkness, Mina was suddenly staring into two, glowing red orbs.

"You don't remember a thing."

* * *

Integra, having been only barely drifting through the half-conscious state between sleep and waking, was jolted upward by quiet, but persistent, rapping on her door.

"Get up! I know you'd wake up at a pen drop, there's no use pretending you're still asleep!"

Lucy, she thought with a groan, rolling back over onto her side.

"Integra, it's important! We haven't had a real chance to talk since you got back, what with you getting us all put in detention!"

She did not reply, though Integra couldn't help scowling in embarrassment and pent up rage when reminded of her own childish outburst.

She could practically hear Lucy roll her eyes through the wall. "Alright then. Whenever you feel like getting over yourself and joining us, we'll be waiting outside."

Integra listened to the red head walk away, mentally debating it.

It was Sunday, the only day in the week in that Lucy and Mina weren't required to sit for hours in the second-floor biology lab while Integra and Diana slaved away in the kitchen. If Lucy wanted to get up at five in the morning, before the sun had even risen, she obviously had something large planned for the day.

Integra sighed in defeat as she got out of bed, curiosity overpowering her common sense. Chances were that whatever Lucy was up to today would tack another month on to each of the girl's punishments, but Integra wasn't daunted. Lucy had an elegance about her rule breaking that usually prevented them from being caught, unlike Integra's Kali-like hunt for retribution the other day.

Instead of her uniform, Integra wore a looser, more masculine blouse and slacks. She felt more comfortable in men's clothing by far, and wouldn't wear a skirt unless she was forced to. She slipped her gun in the inside pocket of her coat, not wanted to be caught off guard as she had been a few nights prior.

As promised, Lucy, Mina, and, unfortunately, Diana were waiting beneath the tree outside, the red-head's impatient frown difficult to see through the heavy fog.

"Now that her royal highness has deemed us worthy enough to join," Lucy declared, as loudly as she would dare. Integra shot her a look of warning, but did not comment. "We shall begin our expedition!"

"And what kind of expedition are you planning?" Integra asked, deciding to humor her eccentric friend for a while.

"Just like you Integra, trying to spoil the fun early!" Lucy laughed, playfully shoving the girl who would, in any other time or place and with any other person, break her wrist for such an action. "Wait and find out like everyone else!"

"I must agree with our late friend," Diana said, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around Lucy's waist and leaning her head on the girl's shoulder. "I'm becoming rather impatient."

"Alright, alright!" Lucy replied, shrugging the other girl off of her. If she were unfettered by Diana's close proximity, she did not let on.

Lucy led the group around the side of the building, sticking close to the brick wall so that they could not be seen from the windows above.

Cartwright's had several courtyards, and only one of which could be accessed from the outside. It was the smallest, oldest, and least well kept, namely because, save for a side door through the laundry room which had rusted at the handle from lack of use, it could not be seen or entered from inside the building. The small entryway was blocked off from the outside world by a tall, wrought-iron fence and a thick chain and padlock around the gate.

From outside, the girls could see the over grown, yellowing grass within and the dead ivy climbing up the walls, but little else. Integra could spot bits of abandoned gardening tools and broken glass sticking up out of the grass here and there.

Lucy began whispering again, "The other day, I heard the janitor, Mr. Neely, talking to a plumber in the front hall about needing to go fix some of the plumbing in the basement. However, the plumber says that a large amount of boxes and old furniture or something fell down and blocked his path to the specific area he needed to go to."

The red-head grabbed the pad-lock, and began to enter a combination she'd written down on the inside of her hand. "So, Mr. Neely tells the plumber the combination to this old thing and that he can get to another entrance to the basement through a door in this courtyard."

"Lucy," Mina murmured as the girl swung the gate open triumphantly. "This part of the school is kind of old, we could get hurt. You did say that some furniture fell over, what's to stop it from falling right on top of us?"

"Live a little darling!" Lucy giggled, grabbing Mina by the wrist and dragging her forward.

Though Mina dragged her feet the entire way, Diana was more than happy to join Lucy at the front of the group, grinning like a mad woman. Integra, feeling somewhat unsure of the place as well, cautiously trailed behind them.

The basement door was there, just as Mr. Neely had said. The slanted, doubled doors had once been painted, but they were too chipped and aged for one to discern what the original color had been. Now they were only a half-rotten mixture of dark gray, black, and brown.

There was another lock on this one as well, but it required a key. Lucy mulled over this for a while, looking particularly disappointed.

Mina stepped forward to look at the lock and offer assistance, if she could, but her foot landed on something lying on the ground, causing it to make a loud snap. She looked down to see what it had been and let out a piercing scream.

"You idiot! Someone probably heard you!" Lucy cursed, marching over to see what had frightened Mina this time.

Beside her right foot, laid the now half-crumbled skull of some kind of animal. It was partially buried, the dirt on top of it most likely having been taken away with the wind.

"What the hell is that?" Lucy gasped with a small shudder, her previous bravado gone.

Diana approached the remains and knelt down beside them, brushing the remaining dirt away and lifting it up to her eye level. She turned it over in her hands a couple times before letting it drop unceremoniously onto the dirt, losing all interest. "Just a dog. Someone probably buried it here some time ago, assuming no one would disturb it."

Mina looked immensely guilty for having so rudely disturbed the remains of a dead dog, but Diana didn't seem to care at all as she walked up to the doors of the basement. She glanced around the yard, spotting a piece of pipe sticking up out of the ground.

She released it from the earth and dragged it behind her to the door, swinging it over her head and bringing it down hard on the wooden surface. The rotten wood broke easily, most likely barely holding itself together to begin with, and the stairs down to the basement were revealed in the light of the early morning.

Integra blinked in surprise at the show of such strength of the girl, her instincts telling her to be on guard. Despite how ancient the door was, it was hard to believe that anyone that small would be able to just smash it in like that.

The action was enough to jolt Lucy out of her state of temporary shock, and she joined Diana at the top of the stairs.

"Problem solved!" Diana announced, tossing the pipe aside and beginning to descend in the depths of the school.

"Come on, the real fun is starting!" Lucy called out, still attempting to remain quiet in her regained state of excitement. She quickly followed Diana's lead, disappearing into the earth.

Mina nodded hesitantly, muttering a quick apology to the dead animal before joining the other two.

Integra waited the longest, considering whether or not she wanted to be trapped in an enclosed, dark spade with Diana, knowing what she did of the supernatural. It wouldn't be fair to outright label the girl as a monster just because she seemed a bit too strong and, frankly, got on the huntress's nerves, but she knew better than to dismiss a hunch in a matter as serious as this.

Then again, Integra would rather follow in the case that Diana was a vampire than leave her two untrained and unsuspecting friends to be eaten.

Steeling herself for the worst and taking comfort in the weight of the metal object tucked away in her coat, Integra walked down the stairs.

Droplets of rain began to fall, washing more dirt off of the dog's bones and deepening the little trails of erosion that had already begun to form on them.

The only light inside of the basement was streaming in from the door outside, and from it, all the girls could make out were various piece of landscaping equipment, rotten or torn up chairs with questionable stains on their upholstery, and some forgotten confiscated items.

"It really kind of stinks in here," Lucy commented as she picked up an envelope sitting on top of a cardboard box and opened it, revealing several handwritten letters. After glancing at their contents, she raised an eyebrow and shoved them into her coat's pocket for later examination. "Some raunchy stuff down here, I like it."

"Oh, Lucy!" Mina scolded, a deep red blush rising to her face.

Integra frowned, running her hand along the brick walls looking for a light switch of some kind. Instead, she found the large knocked over pile of garbage that Mr. Neely had spoken of before, and she saw exactly why the plumber had been so deterred by it. The pile reached all the way to the ceiling.

Integra, with her trained eye, noticed something off about it, however. The chairs and table and boxes did not appear to have merely fallen over, but were strategically stacked, as if to create a barricade of some kind.

Integra turned to the other girls, "I really think that we should leave soon. Something's not. . ."

The blonde trailed off, her eyes landing on Diana. The girl, so usually eager to impress her easily impressed friends, had grown completely silent. She had that intense, overly focused look on her face again, and was standing in the middle on the room with her arms at her side, staring at the far right corner.

"Huh? Something's wet over here, but I can't see!" Lucy called out from that same corner, having ventured over there in her search for more explicate, confiscated items.

"Wait a second, I think I found a light!" Mina answered, reaching up to pull the metal chain next to a handing, naked light bulb.

The light came on, filling the entire room with clarity. Like a childhood dream, when the darkness, the imaginative thrill was gone, and the truth laid bare for all to see, the basement was truly uglier and more disgusting that child could've imagined.

A man, possibly in his late thirties, was hanging with his boots just barely touching the floor. He was strung up by the neck with his own belt, which had been looped around a now bent and leaking pipe on the wall, covering his face and body with raw sewage.

His eyes were wide open and seem to bulge out of his head, slightly glazed over. The man's jaw was dislocated on one side, leaving his ripped tongue and missing teeth open to the air. His chin, neck, torso, and all extremities were covered in dried blood.

Lucy was the one screech in horror this time, stumbling backward and landing on her backside. She covered her face with her hands, unintentionally covering it with half-congealed blood and shit from where she'd touched the wall near him. Her wide eyes still stared at the man through gaps in her fingers, unable to pull them away.

Unlike before, Mina was completely silent, having frozen in the spot like a deer in a hunter's crosshairs, her hand still lingering on the light's chain.

Integra ground her teeth together, clenching her fists as pure rage seared through her again. Unlike Lucy and Mina, she had noticed the bite marks trailing up and down his arms and body.

Diana looked from face to face, her expression unreadable.

"Come on!" Integra demanded, roughly grabbing Lucy by her shoulders and forcing her to her feet. "We have to get out of here!"

Mina did not move, despite Integra's command. She growled in aggravation and grasped the girl by the forearm, dragging her to the stairs.

For a few moments after the girls had left, Diana remained, staring at the dead body in a thoughtful manner. She turned away finally and ascended the stairs, but not without a final glance over the room.

* * *

**A/N: All righty then! It's our longest chapter so far at 4,065 words, though that really doesn't seem like much for some, I've always been a bit more straight to the point with my language and normally have a little over 3,000 at most. This has been a much more dialog-heavy chapter than those previous, but I think we managed to work in a decent amount of description (probably more than you liked) on the side.**

**I know I promised to include a new character this time, but I lied. She'll show up eventually, just not right now. insert toll face here**

**Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! I really do appreciate any kind of criticism y'all can dish out and would be more than happy to clear up any concerns you guys may have. It bums me out that I don't get more, but, hey, I'm not going to hold my story at gun point asking for X number of reviews as a ransom. I'll just keep writing this whether anyone wants it or not, as is the case with most of the things I write. Apparently my tastes are just unique…**

**Anyway, thanks for spending however much time it took you to look at my crap, whether you liked it or not, and I'll see you again next time! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hellsing, just like I didn't in the last in two installments. Imagine that!**


	4. Chapter 4

The clock on the far end of the room read six thirty, but Integra knew that the actual time could not be correct. The second hand was the only moving arm on the face, twitching forward in place without making any real progress.

She wasn't sure how long it had been since they were split up in order to keep their stories honest when the police came. Integra wasn't certain where the other two had gone, but she had been left in a backroom of the main office. She barely had room to breathe stuffed into an uncomfortable chair surrounded by papers, broken printers, and unused desks.

It was interesting to see the other side of Cartwright's. Behind the austere, old world hardwood floors and warm hues, the same gray carpets, fluorescent lights, and pale walls prevailed in secret. It was no volcano, but a mockery of one, like the opposite extreme of a Los Vegas casino in its fake wonder.

The small door creaked open causing the poster of a kitten in a bowtie on the wall to have its corners picked up by the draft. A red-blonde head poked hesitantly into the room and, seeing the girl sitting on the wooden chair in the center, opened the door completely.

"Miss Hellsing?" if she weren't in uniform, Integra would've mistaken the cop for a student. She couldn't have been a day over twenty, and, judging by her uncertain posture and the way she was wringing her hands together, she hadn't been at the job for very long.

"Yes," Integra answered, folding her hands in her lap to combat the urge to clench them into fists. She needed to contact Walter privately, though the school had attempted to do so before without success. She should've done it hours ago, no, days prior, before any casualties had occurred in the first place, and with every second wasted on this pointless interrogation a monster was hunting innocent humans she'd sworn to protect.

They were the only witnesses and, without her organization to back her, Integra was just a student and couldn't call this girl's superiors to get these clueless humans out of Integra's case. So, she had to play the part of a scared little girl for the time being, which was not an easy feat. The alarmingly different side to herself, Sir Hellsing, leader of the Hellsing Organization, was longing to take action, to retrieve her gun and sabre and destroy the monster before it could do any more damage, but the fake girl knew better, that a seventeen year old should be terrified and depend on the adults to save her.

"I'm just going to ask you a few questions," the policewoman explained in a heavy accent. Her eyes widened and she added, catching herself in her mistake. "I'm Officer Victoria, by the way."

"Alright then," Integra confirmed with a nod.

"What exactly were you doing when you discovered the, uh—"

"The body?" Integra finished for her, only realizing after the fact how nonchalantly she'd said it. She cursed herself internally for not being more careful.

Victoria looked disturbed for a moment, but it quickly went away as she most likely wrote it off in her mind. "Ah, yes. The body."

"My friends and I had snuck into the basement through an out of use entrance, and we found. . ." Integra made sure to trail off here, though her voice was still unconvincing. Even pretending to be afraid wasn't easy anymore.

"Who was with you?"

Integra took a half second more to consider what she would say. Diana had conveniently managed to disappear soon after they'd fled, and had not been apprehended when Lucy ran screaming into the front hallway. She realized how childishly bitter it would be to rat her out, but Lucy or Mina were bound to anyway. Not wanting to be caught in a lie, Integra stuck with the truth.

"Three other girls, Lucy Westenra, Mina Harker, and Diana…"

"Diana what?"

Integra looked down at her hands, frowning in confusion. What was her last name? Certainly she'd had to have said it at some point.

She smiled a little, trying to pass off her frustration as embarrassment at having forgotten. "I'm really not sure, to be honest."

Victoria nodded in understanding. "I'm certain we can find out what it is. Going on,"

Integra went on to explain the rest of what had happened, excluding key details like the arrangement of the boxes into a barricade. After leaving the basement with two of the girls in tow, Lucy had run off in the direction of the front entrance. Upon bursting through the double doors, she'd thrown herself at a member of the faculty before simultaneously throwing up and passing out.

Lucy had been sent to get a shower and go to sleep soon after, but Mina and Integra had been told to remain behind.

"Now, other than the man himself, did you notice anything strange?"

Integra looked down and replied solemnly. "No, that's all I know."

"Well, if anything else comes to you," Seras said as she stood up. "Please inform one of your teachers or, if necessary, call us directly."

She smiled in a way that she hoped was timid, "I'll be sure to."

* * *

It was nine thirty by the time that Integra was released from the panicking staff and police to go to bed. She did not see Mina anywhere, which made some amount of sense considering that she hadn't seemed particularly chatty the last time they'd been together.

Instead of heading to the third floor, instead, Integra stopped on the second and briskly walked to room 117. The English teacher who presided there, Ms. Conners, was infamous amongst the custodians for her tendency to forget to lock up at the end of the day.

Luck seemed to be on her side for once, and when she turned the handle the door actually opened and she was allowed inside.

Integra immediately headed for the phone on the desk at the front of the room. Holding the thick hunk of plastic to her ear, she quickly hit nine, which was required to dial out, before slamming in the number of the direct line to Hellsing HQ. This line was only known by people with actual ties to the organization, so Walter would know that it wasn't just the ignorant school staff.

A loud electrical screech assaulted her eardrum, causing her to nearly drop the phone. Even though she was holding it away from her ear, she could still hear the familiar three note tune followed by the monotone voice of a woman telling her that the number she had dialed was no longer in service.

Trying to bite off the nagging suspicion that something was terribly wrong here, she instead assumed that she had punched in the wrong number. She attempted to dial the number again, more slowly this time, making sure that she was one hundred percent correct.

There was no screech this time, but the same error message played again. Integra bit down on her lip, and the hand holding the phone clenched hard enough to make it crack in protest. Walter would never alter the direct line without informing her first, this she could be certain of.

Integra returned to the room, the weight of her gun in the jacket somehow not as comforting as before. She could not help but think that she was in need of heavier firepower.

She opened the door and dragged herself inside, expecting to see Diana lounging on the bed opposite hers. However, the bed was empty, the sheets still neat from where Integra had come behind Diana's lazy back and arranged them that morning.

Despite her disdain, she could not help the concern rising in her gut. It wasn't abnormal by any means for Diana to be out at past curfew, but there was a monster on the loose.

She remember again the great display of strength that Diana showed earlier, and wondered if she shouldn't be more worried for anyone that crossed her path than for her.

Integra dragged her suitcase out from underneath her bed and opened the compartment custom-made into the lining, withdrawing several more magazines full of silver bullets, a flask of holy water, and her sabre. With a small exhale of relief, she returned the objects to their places, save for the holy water. This joined her gun on her person.

She left the dorm room again and made her way over to Mina's, which was on the other side of the building. She didn't want to disturb Lucy, but Integra hoped that at least Mina had come to her senses.

She rapped on the door twice with her knuckles, waited a moment, and then scratched with her fingernail once, the signal they'd invented years ago.

The door creaked open, and, instead of the brunette she'd been looking for, a girl with straw-colored hair and a homely face peaked her head in through the door.

She didn't make eye contact with Integra as she hissed. "Mina isn't well! Go away!"

As the door began to shut in her face, Integra pushed forward, lodging her shoulder in the doorframe. "I need to see that she's alright!"

"Go away!" the girl hissed, her voice rising dangerously. She was shoving on the door with all of her weight, but only managed to make Integra angry.

Just as Integra was preparing to bash the child's skull in, a small voice called out from deeper in the room. "Stop it Irina, she's my friend."

Irina rolled her eyes and stepped away from the door, throwing her arms down in defeat.

"And God knows you're just going to be talking with each other all night!"

"Keep your voice down, please." Mina pleaded softly.

She sat cross-legged in the middle of her bed with her hands folded in her lap. She stared at them as if they were unknown to her, entirely foreign.

"How are you holding up?" Integra asked, sitting down at the foot of the bed and taking one of Mina's hands.

Mina looked up, exhaustion evident in her dark brown eyes. "Better, I guess. I'm sorry for shutting down on you. I'm not sure what happened to me there."

Integra squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Don't be, it wasn't your fault."

"Have you seen Lucy?"

"No, I thought I'd give her at least a while to calm down," she explained.

"Who do you think could've done such a thing?" Mina whispered, staring at her hands again.

"I'm not certain," Integra lied. "But I need you to do something for me."

Mina looked up expectantly.

"Keep your window and door locked at night, and, if anyone asks to come in, ignore them. Listen for the knock."

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion for a moment, but slowly nodded.

Across the room, Irina huffed again in a not-so-subtle reminder that they needed to hurry it up. Integra shot her a quick glare intense enough to crush tungsten, and looked back to Mina.

"Lucy should be alright as long as her roommate is there to look after her," Mina offered. "She's a bit eccentric, but seemed decent enough when we spoke. I forget her name, Rip something?"

"I don't recognize then name, but I'll take your word for it." Integra agreed. "I should probably tell her what I said to you as well."

Mina grasped both of Integra's hands and whispered earnestly. "Please Integra, you of all people should be smart enough know it isn't safe to be wandering around the halls at this hour!"

"And you should know not worry so much," Integra countered, though moved by the show of concern for her well-being. "As you said, I'm not stupid. I'll be okay."

She looked as though she might talk back, but Mina held her tongue. "Alright, but at least let me go with you."

"Are you sure? You should probably go to sleep."

"I'm not made of glass!" She suddenly retorted, her voice coming close to a shout.

Integra was momentarily shocked into silence, and Mina withdrew her hands, mumbling an apology.

"If you're leaving, do it already!" Irina snapped from across the room.

Integra couldn't help the aggravation on her face and she stood up from the bed and offered Mina her hand. Mina took it, her grip loose.

Once they were out in the hall, Integra took the lead as they walked to Lucy's room, which was located upstairs. Mina was wringing her hands together as she spoke in a low whisper.

"I'm sorry about Irina, she's not usually so high-strung. She's been having trouble sleeping recently."

They reached room 302 and before Integra was even able to complete the knock, the door swung open, and a girl who was thinner than a twig somehow managed to fill the entire doorway with her wide stance. Due to the shadows thrown by the lamp inside of the room, they could only make out her outline.

"Ah, Miss Mina!" she exclaimed, her voice troublingly loud. "Lucy was just asking about you!"

"Lucy's come around?" Mina replied, excitement and relief buzzing like static under her voice.

"Sort of," the girl said, her bravado faltering somewhat. She ushered them with one long-fingered hand. "Come in, come in!"

The room was in complete disorder, the floor covered in clothes of all kinds, papers, pens, and various trinkets that appeared to have come from the farthest reaches of the earth.

Instead of their friend, on the bed closest to the window was a pile of blankets with a shock of fire-red hair poking out of the top.

"Luuuuccy!" the girl called, walking over to the bedside and shaking the general area she hypothesized her shoulder would be. In this light they could see her far better. She had long, straight black hair that probably had to be pulled back during the day to pass dress-code, round glasses perched on her nose, and midnight blue eyes.

Integra and Mina cautiously stepped around the objects left on the floor, the latter nearly tripping once or twice on her own bare feet.

Lucy sat up, blinking in confusion. She'd obviously been sleeping for some time. Her hair had a comically large rat's nest sticking out a good three inches from the rest of it, and there was black mascara creating a mask around her eyes.

"What time is it Rip?' Lucy slurred, rubbing at her eyes and spreading the black around even more.

"Late," she replied simply, placing a hand on the girl's back. "Miss Mina is here to see you, and I can only assume that the other on must be this Integra you talk about."

Lucy looked up at them finally, and smiled as if drunk. "So Integra finally graces me with a visit! If you'd phoned I could've had cocktails ready."

"Glad to see you're doing better," Integra laughed. "Hearing you slur like an alcoholic makes me wish I hadn't bothered you until tomorrow though."

"Gross," she grunted. "Help me Rip, she's being responsible at me again. I can't take it!"

"As long as you're awake then—" the sound of glass breaking interrupted her thought.

It was loud enough to alert the girls in the rooms around them as well, as soon there were footsteps and voices suddenly echoing from all around them.

Rip was already out the door, and Integra soon followed. Lucy moved to get up, but Mina stopped her. "It'll be okay. You should stay here, we'll take care of it."

The hallways were chaos, people climbing over each other, shouting things back and forth and pushing for the stairs.

"Did you hear? It was—"

"Right out the window too—"

A couple of teachers had come out and were attempting to calm down the masses, but it was obvious that they knew as little about the situation as anyone else. Rip was already pushing through the crowd with fervor, and the other two girls quickly fell in behind her. They were somehow able to reach the first floor and followed the herd of girls outside.

All they could see was a circle of people all gathered under the light cast by the large broken window likes moths. There wasn't any possibility of them getting a good look at whatever they were gawking at with that crowd.

It wasn't long before the headmistress came walking up, throwing commands and promises of heavy punishment left and right. The group began to disperse, pushing and shoving again and forcing the three of them back toward the building.

There was still time, however, for Mina to catch sight of the twisted form of the girl on the ground. Despite the glass all around the body, she couldn't see any blood.

They were all sent immediately back to their rooms, and even Integra knew that it would not be wise to attempt to leave again, as the staff would be even more frenzied that before. Where it had been possible to keep panic to a minimum before, there was no denying what at least twenty students had seen and even more had heard.

Her short sight had already produced two casualties, and Integra couldn't resist the feeling that the number would just get higher the longer she was out of contact with Hellsing HQ.

She looked at the bed opposite her own. It was still empty, and impeccably made up.

* * *

Classes were canceled the next day, and the office was over run with students attempting to contact their parents. Eventually, every student had to apply for a time to use the phone, and, in the mean time, hundreds were packing their bags while gossiping back and forth.

Some claimed to have been there when it had happened, saying that she'd jumped, that someone had pushed her.

It didn't matter anyway. The parents were all in uproar, initially, over the fact that it had happened it all, and then over why they had not been told about the first death the moment it was discovered. Perhaps it was true that the school's wish to not cause a panic had been the reason Margret Clark had died, but being furious over it now wasn't likely to bring her back. The main focus seemed to be on retrieving their daughters before they met with a similar fate.

Of course, one student still couldn't manage to get a hold of her legal guardian. It wasn't as though she had any intention of leaving, anyway.

Integra, having nothing else that she could do with so many people out and about and no classes, was in her dorm room completing the pile of make up work she'd still yet to get through. She was pressing down on each piece of paper hard enough to have torn through several, and she'd already broken one of her favorite pens.

There was a small knock at the door, and Integra sprang up, actually hoping for once to see her roommate. It wasn't as though she didn't enjoy the quiet, but knowing that Diana was in one piece would at least be one less thing to worry about.

Instead, it was Mina on the other side of the door, dressed to travel. Her parents had been called the day before, as soon as the faculty had learned of the initial incident. She looked over Integra's masculine pajamas and said, "You're not leaving?"

"No," Integra said, stepping aside to allow the other girl inside. "I can't. I just got back, after all."

"I can't believe you sometimes! Two people have—"

"You don't think I know that?" Integra sighed, returning to her place at the desk. "How's Lucy?"

"She's really tired, but she's capable of keeping up a meaningful conversation at least."

"Thank god. She should be going soon. Being at home for a while should do her a world of good." Integra said.

"That's just it," Mina breathed, her frustration evident. "She's going to be here for a while too. Her dad is out of the country on business, so she's going to have to stay for at least a week."

"Damn," Integra hissed. "It's for the best that I'm here then, at least."

"I'm not leaving you two here with a killer on the loose." Mina said, clenching her hands into fists.

"It's not like you can just take us with you Mina, I can't impose on you like—"

"I'm staying." She explained, more determination evident in her face than Integra had seen in the many years they'd known each other.

"Mina!" Integra growled. "What are you going to tell your parents?"

She shrugged and smiled sweetly. "I'm going to tell them no."

Integra rubbed circles in her temple. "Are all of you just plotting to make me lose my mind with worry? Alright then, just until Lucy can leave though."

"But Integra—"

"Please don't argue with me anymore! I can deal with this by myself."

Mina bit her lip, finally growing silent again.

"Have you seen Diana anywhere?" Integra asked quietly, ending the awkward silence.

"Yes, actually."

"Oh?" Integra looked up from her work expectantly.

"She's outside, digging around in the dirt."

Mina turned around and stormed out, looking like she was going to slam the door for a second, before gently closing it instead.

Integra threw on an outfit, opting for a pair of pants once again. Taking what Mina had said into consideration, she chose jeans rather than her usual slacks.

In the chaotic state of the main floor, no one noticed Integra exit out of the side door of the dining hall, which lead out onto the grounds behind the school. There, the groundskeeper's prized hedges were in their prime, along with the off-colored patches of grass where she'd tried and failed to grow trees. Zorin Blitz wasn't able to do much more than trim grass and hedges, it seemed.

She found Diana beneath the single tree, indeed digging in the dirt. Or, to be more accurate, covering something with dirt.

"What are doing?" Integra demanded.

Diana looked up and flashed her signature smirk, though it was slightly more restraint than normal. She gestured with the large shovel in her hands, and Integra looked down into the hole.

It was the dog from before, with the same partially crushed skull from where Mina had stepped on it.

"The hole's a bit large for something so small, don't you think?" Integra asked suspiciously.

"Six feet is the required amount to pay proper respect to the dead, a creed that this mutt's master obviously didn't follow. You don't want it to come back looking for revenge against our dear friend, would you?" Diana replied, loading more dirt on top of the remains.

"Makes sense, I suppose." Integra offered, still looking down at the dog. "This whole mess seems to wreak of a curse. Are people particularly superstitious where you're from?"

"Very much so, but for good reason. I find," she said, pausing to throw another pile of dirt into the pit. "That superstition always has a certain amount of truth to it."

"Is that so? You don't have much of an accent, though people say you're from Europe."

"I've traveled more than a little in my life. I suppose you could say that I have a combination of accents, rather than a lack there of." She explained with a shrug. The hole was near to being full.

"I wouldn't have guessed it." Integra murmured as Diana patted the patch of dirt with the back of the shoulder, making sure that the particles wouldn't fly away with the wind. "Where have you been?"

"I wasn't particularly interested in being interrogated by the police, so I laid low for a while. I never knew that the laundry room would be so disgusting, though."

Though she was irritated that Diana had once again gotten out of having to take responsibility for her actions, she did not pursue it. She looked over the girl's once white outfit, noting the numerous dirt stains. "Do you need a change of clothing?"

Diana looked down at herself, as if it was the first time it had occurred to her to do so at all. "I believe I do, actually."

Integra turned around and began to walk back toward the school. "Come on then, I'm sure I can find something tiny enough."

* * *

**A/N: Kind of a lame way to end it out, but I had to stop somewhere. Now that the ball's started rolling, we can really get to the action. **

**Liked it? Hated it? Feeling mostly indifferent? Please let me know! I long for your critique so that I may improve my writing! Without it, I must only assume that I'm doing something wrong, give up, and try again with something else. Therefore, if you want to keep seeing this story, please tell me so!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hellsing. Duh.**


	5. Chapter 5

As predicted, Integra's uniform was far too large for Diana and sagged immensely, but it worked for the time being.

Diana flopped down onto the bed, finally disheveling the covers.

"I don't suppose you plan on letting this upstart run around butchering people?" Diana prompted.

"For once we're in agreement." Integra replied, crossing her arms across her chest. "However, I'll ask that you not get yourself involved. Go home with everyone else."

Diana rolled over on her back, laughing profusely. "Oh no, I'm staying. I couldn't miss this for the world."

Integra glared, grinding her teeth together. "What is this to you, a game?"

"Something like that. Mostly just that I can't really leave anyway."

Integra hissed through her teeth. "Let me guess, your father's in Japan too?"

Diana raised an eyebrow, but didn't question her further. "Not that I know of. My guardian hasn't contacted me, and I'm afraid that until he shows up I'm stranded anyway. Might as well have fun with it."

Seeing that she was a lost cause, Integra's shoulders slumped and she returned to her work.

"God, even with a killer on the loose you're boring." Diana sighed, jumping up from bed. "I'm going to go find something better to do."

"You do that," Integra muttered. The moment Diana had left the room, Integra was up, the holy water and gun once again found themselves in her coat, and she was marching out the door.

Integra made sure to watch to see if anyone was following her repeatedly, not wanting any others to get involved in this than there already had been. One benefit of the crowds downstairs was that the rest of the hallways were nearly deserted.

She knew that she would have no hope of getting close to either of the actual crime scenes, so she headed to the room of Margret Clark.

It was only out of sheer luck that the door happened to be ajar and that her ex-roommate was out. Integra wasn't willing to rely on that alone, and made a mental note to go about her business quickly.

Integra first raided the desk looking for any kind of diary or log that might give a clue as to what had been going on in the life of this girl before her death. Unfortunately, all she managed to find was classwork and few poorly written essays.

Next, she combed the nightstand. She once again found nothing of particular interest, save for smuggled in vodka and a pair of used earplugs.

Deciding that this was pointless, Integra put everything back exactly as she had found it and left the room.

She walked down the stairs and got to the second floor landing, the place where the large, broken window resided. Despite what she'd originally thought, the area was empty as well, save for one person.

The janitor, Mr. Chambers, with the slack jaw and the crooked back, was cleaning up shards of glass, mysteriously enough, without his gloves.

His thick fingers were slick with blood from the numerous cuts in them, causing the glass to slip out of his hands as he tried to pick them up piece by piece.

"Mr. Chambers, what are you doing?" Integra nearly shouted, rushing over to the man and grasping him by the shoulders.

"Wha-what?" the man sputtered. He blinked at her wildly. "I was… I was just cleaning up the…"

He trailed off looking at his hands. "Sorry dear," he laughed hollowly. "Should've had that extra cup of coffee this morning."

"Have you been tired recently?"

"Yeah, actually. Nothing for you to worry about, dear. Just move along, I'll take care of this." He waved her off with his hands, and Integra continued down the stairs to the first floor, trying not to look over her shoulder at the man.

By the end of the day, at least one hundred of the girls had already left, and majority of the others would be gone in the next three days.

Despite this, there was a small dinner prepared, and the hundred and fifty or so remaining students all piled into the dining hall.

Integra sat across from Mina and, surprisingly Lucy, who for all appearances seemed to be more or less herself again.

". . . and then Susan was going on and on about how she _saw _Ana Prince shove her out the window. I swear I heard nine or ten people saying the same damn thing. I'll bet you the only bad thing Ana's done in her whole life was spill cola on Susan's blouse once." Lucy ranted, stabbing at her potatoes. Even though she was just as much of a gossip as the girls she criticized, at least her heart was in the right place.

"Evening Lucy," Integra greeted, finally catching her attention.

Lucy, of course, was just short of jumping through the ceiling with surprise. "God, don't sneak up on me like that. You're like a damn ninja!"

"You might've seen me sooner if you weren't talking so loudly," Integra teased, pushing her glasses up her nose. "Is it really getting that bad already?"

Her face grew more somber, and her light blue eyes trailed toward the still mostly full plate in front of her. "Yeah. Bloodsuckers can't even leave her alone after she's dead. It's completely possible that the two . . ."

"Incidents?" Mina provided softly, wringing her hands together on the tabletop.

"Sure, that the incidents didn't really have anything to do with each other. She could've just jumped. From what I hear, she had a lot going on in her life." Lucy said, her genuine sympathy clear on her face.

"That could be true," Integra admitted, though she could not bring herself to believe it entirely. It all just seemed far too convenient.

"I don't know," Mina muttered.

"Speak up if you have something to say!" Lucy groaned, prodding Mina in the arm.

"Just doesn't seem right. I mean, the windows here aren't paper-thin, and she could've only weighed one-twenty pounds at most. In all likelihood, she would've just smacked into the pane and fallen onto the floor if she'd tried to jump out of it." Mina explained.

Due to how little she spoke, it was easy to forget sometimes just how intelligent Mina was. Because of this, it took a moment or two for the other girls to gather a response.

"How did she get through then?" Integra asked, leaning forward.

"Something would've had to have thrown or slammed her with enough force to make an impact great enough to smash through a window." Mina filled in, as if it were obvious.

"Stop it already, you're spoiling my appetite." Lucy snapped suddenly, throwing her fork down and rubbing her eyes with her hand again. "Leave it to the medical examiner; I'm not interested in your hypothetical autopsy."

Mina flinched back in alarm at the sound of the metal hitting the table, deep hurt flashing in her features.

Lucy looked at the other girl, and she seemed tempted to say something. However, she bit her lip and turned away again.

The tense air was interrupted as someone unceremoniously landed on the tabletop, making everything near the source of impact shake.

"And how are we this evening?" Diana asked, not really directing it at anyone in particular.

"How do you think?" Lucy asked, desperation and earnest finally clawing their way into her voice.

"It's not so bad," Diana offered with a shrug. "The lines for food are shorter." Despite her words, she had neither food or drink in her hands.

Lucy scoffed in disbelief. "How can you even say that? It's awful!"

"It's the way things are." Diana countered, her tone suddenly dead serious.

"Whatever," Integra quickly said, attempting to change to subject before a full-blown fight could occur. "Why are you here if you're not going eat?"

She dropped a small, leather-bound book that appeared to be severely water damaged and covered in dirt.

"I found this yesterday while I was looking for a shovel. After your little search of the victims room earlier, I figured you'd be interested in it." Diana said with a smirk.

"How did you know about—"

"Yes, yes, I watched you. Who could blame me though? If anything, your behavior was just as shady as mine." Diana sighed, waving her off with a hand.

Lucy and Mina seemed like they were about to tear into her on what 'behavior' Integra had been involved in, but she switched topics again to avoid yet another conversation concerning ethics.

Integra flipped open the book and, scribbled into the bottom right hand corner of the first blank page was a heavily smeared signature. It was legible enough for her to understand, however. _Margret Clark, 1995._

"Where was this?" she asked, barely able to believe her eyes.

"It was lying face down in a rained-on pile of dirt by the groundskeeper's shed. Seemed a bit out of place, so I picked it up for curiosity's sake. This was before I knew she'd died, of course." Diana said with a shrug, previous antagonism already forgotten.

Zorin Blitz's masculine face popped into her mind. There was no way the groundskeeper wouldn't have noticed it if Diana had.

Integra withdrew it, moving to stow it away in her coat pocket for later review. However, Lucy grabbed her by the wrist.

"What are you doing? That could hold something the police could use! We need to turn it in!" Lucy demanded, wrenching it toward herself. Her loud tone caused several others to look over in their direction.

"Lucy, would you please?!" Integra hissed under her breath, pulling back.

"What's wrong with you Integra? Don't you want justice for her?" Lucy tugged back in turn, making them look like soccer moms on tax-free weekend.

"I want that more than anything, but—"

"But what! This is evidence that they _need_!" Lucy pleaded, having drawn the eyes of more than half of the girls in the room.

Mina was looking around them wide eyed, and she placed a hand on Lucy's arm. "Maybe you should stop before we cause a panic."

"There's no reason for a panic! All we need to do is," Lucy pulled on the diary with her full weight, only barely dislodging it from Integra's vice grip. "turn this in!"

Diana very suddenly tackled Lucy to the ground, making her lose her grip of the diary altogether.

"What the he—"

Diana put her hand over the girl's mouth and whispered close to her ear, "Shut up and sit down until I say otherwise,"

Because Diana was leaning over her, no one saw how Lucy's eyes flashed red for a split second before the girl got off of her and she stood up. She sat back down at her seat and began to obediently eat her food again, not saying a word.

Integra watched this go on with a mixture of alarm and anger on her face. To have diffused a situation that easily, and to tackle the every feisty Lucy to the ground without starting a fistfight, was anything but human.

Diana draped an arm over Lucy's shoulder and smiled. "Black mail goes a long way, you know."

As soon as Diana was gone, claiming to have other things to do (probably going off to dig graves for dead birds she'd shot down with stones), Integra practically dragged her two friends out of the dining hall and up the stairs. She didn't feel that her room would be safe, as it was Diana's as well, but she knew of a place to which the 'girl' definitely would not have been invited. Once again, she didn't like to go around claiming that people were evil left and right like a resident of Salem, but she decided that, in these circumstances, being too careful was impossible.

The old biology room on the fourth floor hadn't been used in years, and Mr. Chambers assumed that it was locked, as he also assumed he had the only key. Well, she didn't have a key, _per say, _but a bobby pin in the right hands could do many things.

All the while, Mina and Lucy were practically screaming for help as Integra tugged them along, but their companionship was not unknown by the rest of the school, and, with a reassuring smile from Integra, most wrote it off as them being crazy friends sharing in some complex joke.

She all but tossed them on the floor once she was in the biology classroom before turning around and locking the door behind her immediately.

Integra was not even given an opportunity to look directly at them before she was grasped by the shoulders and shaken.

"Have you lost your mind?" Lucy cried. "Who is this lunatic and what has she done with Integra Hellsing?"

Integra wondered how Lucy would react if she knew that she was currently acting more like herself than she had in years of attending school with the girl, but decided not to investigate the idea.

She shook Lucy's hands off, taking a deep breath in and out to gather her thoughts. Instead of approaching the topic directly, she started with a question. "When you first met Diana, what did she say to you?"

Lucy raised a brow in confusion, "I don't know, it was a while ago. Why is it important anyway?"

Mina, always having had a better memory than the other two (and, subsequently, the best grades) said, "Lucy asked her where she was from, and she said she'd come from Romania, near the Carpathians."

"Anything about her family, or even her last name?" Integra prompted.

The brunette frowned, biting her lower lip. "No, I don't think so…"

Lucy shrugged, "Just didn't seem important, I guess. I think we assumed on some level that she was really just from Mars or something, by the way she acted."

"And she never mentioned any relatives, no family back in Romania?"

"No family, no," Mina said, shaking her head. "But…"

"But what?" Integra prodded, her patience long since having run dry.

"She threw a name in there, maybe only once. She called him her keeper, I think, so not really family. Maybe just her legal guardian?" Mina continued to glare at the floor, as if it could tell her the answer. "It was a Wen, no may a R-"

"Renfield!" Lucy suddenly sang out, the answer striking her like lightening. Mina appeared a bit bitter for a fifth of second over being beaten, but it passed as soon as it came. "She said that she was waiting for Mr. Renfield."

The name rang no bells with Integra, but it was something at least. It was frustrating, having a lead, and being unable to call up Walter and have him research it. No, she'd have to find any information she needed herself.

"Her belongings never arrived," Integra said, more so to herself than anyone else. "He was probably supposed to deliver them, but got sidetracked somehow."

"It's possible that Ms. Thrip would have a Mr. Renfield on file, if he is her legal guardian." Mina offered. "Though, I doubt she'd ever let you see it."

"You're right," Integra replied, cogs turning in her mind as she formulated a way to look at those files with or without Ms. Thrip's blessing. "It doesn't matter that much. It's none of my business really."

Lucy rolled her eyes, "Then why did you ask? Sometimes I wonder if you've really lost your mind altogether."

Integra bit her lip again. She didn't want to let them in on confidential information, but she also couldn't allow them to be near Diana until her suspicions were eased. A partial truth would have to do for the moment.

"I'm just not sure that Diana's what she seems to be. I may be acting a bit strange, but, as my friends, you should trust me when I say that you should try to keep your distance from her."

Lucy looked like she was seriously debating it in her mind for a moment, her ever-cynical attitude nearly getting the better of her again. Eventually, however, she sighed and nodded. Mina silently agreed as well soon after.

"I really don't know what's going on with you right now," Lucy began, "but if there's anyway we can help, just let us know."

With a wary smile, she walked around Integra and exited the biology lab.

Mina remained for a moment longer, an uncomfortable look on her face. She turned toward the dusty window and stared at a dark shape outside of it for some time, before it extended its small wings and flew off.

"Hm, just a bird after all." Despite her words, Mina wrapped her arms around herself, as if suddenly stricken was cold. "See you later."

* * *

Later that evening, Integra slipped out of her room for what seemed like the millionth time since the beginning of term, gun at the ready. She knew that most of the faculty wouldn't be returning to their housing until nine, so she'd waited until nine forty-five to make her move.

As she made her way down the stairs, avoiding the few teachers put on watch duty with ease, she passed the large, broken window. It was still in disrepair, but now it had a plastic tarp covering it that constantly made noise as a light breeze went through it. She was thankful for it, as the sound covered the slight noise of her footsteps.

Breaking into Ms. Thrip's office, thanks to the wonders of the bobby pin once again, was child's play, but the filing cabinet was not as simple. Instead of the usual lock, the cabinet required a pin number.

She searched the desk top littered with ornate, floral post-it notes and various files, hoping to find one slip of paper where the woman may have put it down. If Integra knew Ms. Thrip at all, she was aware of how much of a forgetful bat she could be. Though she searched vigorously, she could not find any pass code, however.

Taking another calming breath in and out, Integra stood up. It seemed that she would have to make an educated guess.

It was a four-digit code, so it was very possible that it was a specific date. Unfortunately, Integra knew little to nothing about Thrip's past or any day that was of significance to her.

She tried the school's founding day first, then the day Integra believed her niece may've been born, and finally the date she'd gotten a puppy, but her efforts were all in vain.

Just when she'd been prepared to go back through the desk again when she noticed something on the wall. It was small a may've been mistaken as a scuff in the paint in the low light, and it was located right along the molding. Integra kneeled down and read the four numbers, not written, but scratched into the paint: 8605

Within the filing cabinet was were logs various sizes (Lucy's was particularly large) detailing emergency contacts, a brief summary of the various rules they'd managed to seriously break, and any allergies or diseases the student may have.

Honor still intact, Integra made a mental promise not to go peering through anyone else's file, looking only for Diana's. This was no easy feat, seeing as they were listed alphabetically by last name and, as far as she knew, Diana didn't have one.

Integra cursed under her breath as she realized that she would have to look through each and every one of the three hundred plus files in order to find the girl, and that there were probably at least ten different Diana's at this school to begin with. She was also aware of the high possibility that she could be at this all night at this rate, and the next three nights for that matter.

As if by fate, something caught her eye once again. In the pile of forms, there was only one anomaly, a single file with half of the name on top marked out with black ink.

She quickly pulled it out, silently hoping that some divine force was truly on her side that evening.

Not only was the last name covered in ink, but many of the other details on the page had been blotted out as well. What few categories that had been filled in or were viewable such as the list of allergies and ailments had been labeled N/A.

Only one guardian was listed, her 'uncle', Mr. Milo Renfield.

Though it had been about as useful as dry dirt, Integra stashed the file in her ever-expanding coat pocket, unsure of where she was going to hide the thing without fear of Diana discovering it.

Just as she was beginning to rise from her crouch, the door opened. Integra silently dove beneath the desk, holding her breath as a pair of heavy work boots came past. She peered up at their owner while he was looking away from her, standing stock still by the window and staring out of it aimlessly. She'd recognize Mr. Chamber's crooked spine from a mile away, but could only guess as to what he was doing or, more importantly, looking at.

His heavy, uneven breath was the only sound in the room as a full five minutes passed without event. She would've tried to sneak by him, but he stood between her and door. There was also something oddly uncomfortable about what little of his face she could see which gave her pause.

His basset-hound face was slack jawed and completely unmoving, save for the slightly nodding of his head as he breathed. Mr. Chambers appeared to be devoid of thought or emotion, like an ugly old doll.

The near-silence was finally broken when, suddenly enough to make even Integra jump, a black blur smacked into the window before falling out of view, presumably having passed out.

Mr. Chambers, without a word, turned to the door and left.

Integra waited for ten minutes to make sure that her escape would be clear before booking it to the stairs once again. On the way up, she glanced out the window on the landing, and once again she saw the lumbering form of Mr. Chamber walking across the grounds with a large, black crow's corpse clenched in his filthy glove.

* * *

It was not ten minutes after Integra had made it back to her room, Rip Van Winkle returned to her own with two armfuls of wild onion tucked underneath her arms. It was a fleeting interest of hers, the cell structures of roots, but Rip never did anything halfway, transient or no.

Considering it was not yet eleven o'clock, she'd expected Lucy to still be awake and for the lamp to be lit. Instead, she opened the door and tripped over a toy train that had been left on the floor.

"Lucy!" Rip called out, her irritation clearly conveyed even through her heavy German accent.

There was no answer, and, for a moment, Rip wondered if she was there at all. She'd never been a particularly light sleeper.

"Lucy?" she repeated in a softer tone, setting her onions down on the foot of her own bed as she made her way over to the lamp. Thankfully, she'd mostly memorized the chaos that was her bedroom floor. She switched the lamp on, revealing the girl lying in her bed.

Lucy's face did not have any color in it, and her lips seemed slightly blue around the edges.

"Lucy! Lucy can you hear me?" Rip yelled in a panic, shaking the girl by her shoulders. She feared for a moment that her roommate was dead.

Lucy's eyelids began to flutter, however, and she finally looked up at Rip. No, this was inaccurate. She was looking _through _Rip at the ceiling, as if she couldn't even register that anyone was there at all.

"I'm just fine," she breathed. "Everything is fine."

* * *

**A/N: It's sad that having 2 chapters out in one month is an achievement for me. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and to all silent people out there (yeah, you thought I wouldn't notice if you didn't review, but I read my traffic graph. I know which countries you people live in! *lightning flashes*). Anyway, thank you so much for checking this out, whether you grace me with feedback or not.**

**Disclaimer: Fifth verse same as the first. I own nothing.**


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